Packed crowd for good speaker and subject of Catch Me If You Can, Frank Abagnale, tells his life story and experiences of 40 years ago with tie-in to current day identity theft.
*No one in China is masterminding a grand theft of your credit card. Cases usually begin with someone in the company opening the door for that proliferator – someone who opens an email they shouldn’t, launches a website they shouldn’t despite best CIO cautions.
*It is 4,000 times easier today than in his day to steal someone’s identity due to technology and online access of data.
*Using your credit card puts the risk on AmEx not you. Using your debit card only gives someone access to your bank account.
*Provide your children with a supplemental credit card; the bill comes to you while it builds credit score for them (when debit cards for the kiddos do not). They can still pay you (or not) and this teaches them accountability.
*Parents want 16 years olds to be adults. They are not. Sixteen year olds are kids. Abagnale’s actions at age 16 gave him no pause to think about what he was doing.
*Would he do it again? “No, it was a lonely place.”
*FB: Be wary of information put out there. Once someone has your place of birth, your date of birth, and a full front photo, identity theft is a cinch.

Want to talk to Frank? frank@nullabagnale.com